Wolfgang eeindl and alexandee lotsteom



(No Model.)

W. REIN-DL & A. LOTSTROM.

BOOT OR SHOE.

No. 346,126. Patented July 27, 1886.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IVOLFGANG REINDL AND ALEXANDER LOTSTROM, OF MENOMINEE, MICH.

BOOT OR SHOE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 346,126, dated July 27, 1886.

Application filed May 17, 1886. Serial No. 902,435.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, WOLFGANG REINDL and ALEXANDER LOTSTROM, citizens of the United States, residing at Menominee, in the county of Menominee and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Inr provements in Boots and Shoes; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

Our invention relates to boots and shoes; and has for its object to provide the same with a vent leading from the interior thereof near the bottom to the exterior, whereby water ac cidentally lodging in the boot or shoe may be readily withdrawn or a passageway formed by which it will find its way out without the necessity of removing the boot or shoe, the exterior opening of the vent being closed by a removable plug or suitable stopper to prevent the same clogging up.

The difficulty attending the pulling on and off of a close-fitting boot or shoe when wet is too well known to require an extended argument, and the dangers those persons are subjected to who work in marshy ground and water or otherwise have occasion to'enter such either for sport or necessity, if perchance water should enter the boot and should be allowed to remain therein any length of time,is also a matter of fact.

Our invention obi iates these difficulties and meets a long felt want.

It consists in thenovel features more fully hereinafter set forth, claimed and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 'l is a plan view of a portion of a boot or shoe embodying our invention. Fig. 2 is an inverted plan view. Fig. 3 is a side view of the heel portion. Fig. 4 is asectional view on the line X X of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of our improved vent.

Our invention is adapted to be applied to thelowest part of the boot or shoe, the heel being preferable owing to its mass which forms a good bed for the vent.

In the drawings, A indicates the lower or (No model.)

heel portion of aboot or shoe,to the inner side of which a plate, B, is secured by nails or screws. A tube or vent, 0, attached to the plate extends through the heel and curving to one side projects or has an outlet at one side. A plug, D, closes the exposed end of the tube or vent to prevent the ingress of foreign matter which might have a tendency to pack therein and close said vent. The plug preferably has a threaded stem or shank, d, which screws into the threaded end 0 of the vent so it can be easily removed by a screw-driver or pocket-wrench. By having the vent extended through the side of the heel, it is kept out of contact with the ground and preserved from injury. It may extend or protrude from any side, but preferably from the forward side directly beneath theshank, so as to be out of sight and less liable to injury.

The tube may be of any suitable material, metal being preferred, and of any desired shape in cross-section. The inner end of the tube and the plate are flush with the insole E of the shoe or boot, the plate being set in a recess formed therein.

In practice, water being lodged in the boot may be withdrawn by removing the plug,thus obviating the necessity of removing the boot.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with the boot or shoe, of a tube leading from its interior through the heel and communicating with the exterior through the forward side of the heel, and a threaded plug secured into the threaded end of the tube, substantially as and for the purposes deseribed.

2. The combination,with the boot or shoe, of a plate secured to the heel portion of the insole, a tube extending through the l1eel,the upper end being fastened to the plate, the lower end being threaded, and a threaded plug for closing the lower end, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

WOLFGANG REINDL. ALEXANDER LOTSTROM. Witnesses:

FRANK PENBERTHY, WILLIAM LEHMANN. 

